User blog:DoctorMermaid/Out of curiosity...
I went back through The Angel Experiment a while ago to try to figure out how long a period of time it actually takes up. Conclusion: The Flock doesn’t know how to budget. We’re talking about six avian-human hybrids who require a lot of food. Money is going to be spent. I come from a family of seven, and I estimate we spend at minimum $200 every week just ''on staple groceries (milk, eggs, etc.). We normally eat out once a week and rely a lot on cooking from scratch. We also have money to spend. On the other hand, the Flock does not have a steady income. I’m not sure how they got food while they were living alone (actually I have a theory about that, but that’s another post). But here's a rundown of all the mentions of meals I could find. '''Day 1:' They apparently have supplies including juice and eggs and miscellaneous ingredients, and rely somewhat on foraging for food. Angel is kidnapped in the midst of picking wild berries. The rescue team (Max, Fang and Nudge) pursue her and break into a house to steal food. During this period, meals consist of stolen supplies and trash from dumpsters. I think the conclusion we’re meant to draw here is that they’re used to scrounging and foraging. Supplies run out around Day 4. They steal a credit card, withdraw $200, liberate a van, and go to a fast food restaurant where each one orders three trays’ worth of food. *Fang: 3 double cheeseburgers, chocolate shake, soda, three fries, three apple pies *Iggy: same as Fang *Max and Nudge and Gazzy: two fried-chicken sandwiches, two double cheeseburgers, four fries, six apple pies, two vanilla shakes, one strawberry shake, and then two triple cheeseburgers sans hamburger. Okay, let’s say they’re eating at McDonalds. That’s pretty low-price. And remember, two hundred dollars is all they have. http://www.fastfoodmenuprices.com/mcdonalds-prices/ This probably isn’t accurate to 2005, when the book was published, but let’s just try an experiment. Based on this, my estimate is . . . $69.01. Granted, I'm looking at prices in 2015. I could be being grossly unfair right now. All the same, a large percentage of their funds just went down the drain because guess what? They abandon their meal midway through to run from Erasers. Part of that food went uneaten and was never seen again. Post-rescue: They eat breakfast at IHOP and buy some food including s'more supplies. They probably spent at least as much as they did at MacDonalds, so that's another big chunk of their funds gone. Then there’s a timeskip after which they arrive in New York. They still have most of that original $200. What were they eating all that time? Did they steal more money? The world may never know. So now it’s Day 2 of New York. '''They buy food primarily from street stands. Hot dogs, ice cream cones, knishes, burritos, cookies from Mrs. Fields, and then $12 on a subway ride that I don’t think they technically even use because they get distracted by the underground city. These are poor homeless children, and they are flinging their funds left and right like chimpanzees. '''New York Day 3: They immediately buy peanuts from a stand. At AFO Schmidt, Max says she’s almost out of money (NO KIDDING). Then they go to another food stand and buy falafel. New York Day 4: They withdraw $200 from Max’s mystery bank card, sprint all over Manhattan and then visit an extremely expensive-looking restaurant because it’s not like they’re short on money or anything. And the orders are: *2 plates chicken tenders, fruit cocktail, 2 glasses milk, with fries *one-pound prime rib plate, soda, lemonade *2 lasagna primaveras with salad side, bread, milk *shrimp cocktail, maple-glazed roast pork loin (with cabbage and potatoes), house salad with bleu cheese dressing, lemonade, iced tea *lobster bisque, prime rib, bottle of water * rack of lamb (with potatoes and spinach and merlot-rosemary sauce). There’s at least one real restaurant named Garden Tavern but it’s not in the right area. Maybe Patterson’s “Garden Tavern” is similar to Tavern on the Green, which is also right on Central Park. Before its bankruptcy in 2009, it had a Crystal Room (the “Prism Room”? hmmm). However, it seems to have more of a rustic vibe and its menu on its website looks nothing like the list of the Flock’s orders. Still, I’ll look through their website menu and see if there are any of the same things. Prices will have inflated since this book was published, but it should be able to give an idea of prices. Hmm, house salad? There’s a Tavern’s Truffle Caesar Salad for $17. Iced tea? House-brewed iced tea is $4 and so is soda. Lobster bisque? The soups vary from $4.50 to $7.50 and then, hmm, rack of lamb . . . rack of lamb . . . Whole Roasted Rack of Lamb, Oregano Aioli, Summer Black Truffle Pomme Frites for $56.00— $56.00. They have $200 cash total. Iggy just ordered something that could reasonably be $50. THESE KIDS DO NOT DESERVE MONEY. Fortunately, they do not actually pay or get any food. Their next meal comes after Nudge and Max buy three bags of groceries from a local grocery store. They seem to be going largely meal-by-meal, which works in this situation because they have no way to carry large amounts of food, store perishable items, or cook any elaborate meals. New York Day 5: For breakfast, muffins. For lunch, they visit a deli and buy sandwiches, sodas, chips, cookies, and other supplies. They’re starting to get on the right track now. I have one question: did they have to pay for the new clothes they got after their free makeovers? New York Day 6: They’ve wised up and they’re stocking up at grocery stores now. That’s about it for the budgetary stuff in this book, but I’d like to point out that in School’s Out – Forever HOW DO THEY GET INTO DISNEY WORLD? They go through the main gates. In 2005 that might have been ooooh $''215 for the group. And they buy sunglasses for Iggy and eat ice cream and caramel popcorn and later they stay in a hotel and ''where are they getting all this money? These things are freaking expensive! How much was on that bank card? Category:Blog posts